Those of you up for some free to play monster slaying should be pleased to learn that Boreus, a new Behemoth, will be arriving to Phoenix Labs' Dauntless soon. This new frost-powered beastie will set itself apart from the rest of the game's foes by its own personal cohort of flying minions.

The link above has some images and animations, and here's a text overview:

THE MAESTRO OF MAYHEM

From the heart of the Maelstrom comes the mighty Boreus, a frost-powered Behemoth with the ability to control flying minions. These smaller flying beasts both protect the Boreus from harm and do its psionic bidding. The sudden emergence of the Boreus – once thought only a legend – is widely seen as another sign that the Behemoth threat has grown more ominous than ever.

The Boreus is best thought of as not a single Behemoth, but as a whole host of creatures. As such, Slayers who hunt this Behemoth will need to employ new tactics and strategies to secure a kill. Each of the Boreus’ minions can fly – in fact, Dr. Priyani believes this is why they were first encountered scattered across the Shattered Isles, long before the Boreus itself was spotted – and each one specializes in a different form of aggression. These minions are psionically connected to their master, which means Slayers cannot simply ignore them.

COMMAND PERFORMANCE

Slayers have given the minions of the Boreus descriptive nicknames to easily tell them apart.

STALKERS

Stalkers are lean, toothy creatures that prefer to surround Slayers and jab at them with their razor-sharp legs. They can be easily distinguished by their long, blade-like limbs, and are slightly smaller than other minions.

SPITTERS

The aptly nicknamed spitters prefer to strike from range, lobbing cold, frost-charged projectiles from their mouths. These icy spitballs can inflict a surprising amount of harm on unsuspecting Slayers.

BOMBERS

Perhaps the most dramatic of the Boreus’ minions are the bombers – self-destructive creatures that can prime their bodies with an explosive aether charge. Bombers sacrifice themselves to blast the Boreus’ foes, sometimes even taking other minions with them.

SHIELDS UP

Slayers have learned the hard way that the Boreus is full of surprises. While it deals with minor threats as any Behemoth would – with hoof, horn, and tooth – it reacts to lethal attacks with innate defences as necessary. If the Boreus takes too much harm, it can encase itself in an impenetrable layer of aetheric ice. While Slayers can batter at this bizarre phenomenon, it is only by tackling the minions themselves that they can charge their weapons with enough power to bring the Boreus’ cold protection crashing down.

BOREUS GEAR

The smiths of Ramsgate have taken the rediscovery of this frost-feeding Behemoth as an opportunity to further explore their talents crafting frost gear. Armoursmith Moyra Heigsketter has discovered Boreus schematics first conceived by her great grandfather and can’t wait to put them to use. Weaponsmith Wils Bormen, on the other hand, is creating all-new designs made with Ostian strength and Ramsgate style.

ON THE HORIZON

As the Boreus descends upon the islands of the Ram formation, other mysteries abound in the streets of Ramsgate. Lush foliage is creeping into the city, along with strange Farslayers visiting from distant islands known as the Wildlands. Why are they here and what do they want? Perhaps Xelya, Ramsgate’s resident Farslayer, could say, if she wanted. And she usually doesn’t.